Hot Lips: After the War
by maerwd
Summary: What happened to Margaret Houlihan After the War
1. Prologue

Prologue

Margaret had never been happier the night that she received the Purple Heart. She had never been so proud of herself. She had only wished her father had been there. But Alvin Houlihan died in the spring of 1954. He had died while in combat and had also received the Purple Heart. It had been sent to his wife, who died a week later, with a broken heart. 

Margaret now sat by herself, in her small San Francisco apartment. A small cake with one lone pink candle sat in front of her on the table. She cried as she sang to herself, "_Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you…_" She broke off in a small short sob as the pink wax fell onto the chocolate frosting.

Margaret had retired from the army, after taking three months to recover from the bullet wound in her femur. Margaret had seen enough blood, enough death in her life. But she couldn't escape the memories that still lingered in her mind. She dreamed about her nights in the M*A*S*H unit.

Long nights holding clamps to stop the blood gushing out from arteries. Sometimes at night she woke up, bile in her mouth… it wasn't long before she would throw up. She stayed awake at night listening to music on her radio. Anything to drown out the sounds of young soldiers moaning in pain, calling for their mothers. She wondered how she could have been so strong then and so weak and fragile now. Why is it she never got sick while she was up to her elbows in some soldier's insides.

But her she was, crying over memories, and the fact she had given her life to the army. What did she have to show for it? Margaret had once said, "There are so many things I was sure I'd have in my life by now. Every birthday reminds me of what's still not there. This just turned out to be another day in the middle of no where."

Nowhere was all right. But being with no one was worse. Not even a cat. Not that she had ever liked cats (especially not after eating one in Korea!).

Margaret looked at the candle and watched as the pick wax pooled out over the cake. She finally took a deep breath and blew the candle out. The smoke swirled and Margaret wiped her eyes.

There. She was now thirty-five. Five more years and she'd be forty. She couldn't imagine this. She had always excepted to have a home to come back too, but her husband had divorced her after hearing about the affair she had with Major Burns. She tried to explain to him she had just been lonely, but she had left her anyway. Good riddance, she had said… but now she wasn't sure anyone would want to marry her. Let alone want to have kids. _I might as well get on with my life_, Margaret thought. But where would she go what would she do? She really didn't need to get a job. The pension she received from the Army was more than adequate. 

All she had been doing lately was writing letters to colleagues from war days. To see how they were doing, what they were doing, and how they felt about the memories. Finding a kindred spirit throughout the ashes of the war.

Speaking of the mail… maybe she should go down stairs and get the mail. She had forgotten to do so when she got up this morning. 

Margaret opened her apartment door and along the landing and down the stairs to the front door. In the mail cubbyhole for apartment six there were a few letters. _Bills, more than likely,_ the thought as she pulled out the letters. She dared not look at them. She walked dignified, refined, slowly up the stairs. Afraid to hope that maybe she had received a letter from Frank. She walked into her apartment and closed the door with her foot. "Happy Birthday to me!" she sang loudly. 

Yes, she dared to dream, that perhaps Frank had sent her a letter. Perhaps it wasn't _just_ an affair. Maybe it _had_ been true love. She read over the first letter… "To Resident….trash…" She flipped to the second letter. "To Major Houlihan." This letter was postmarked, Chicago, Illinois. She tossed aside letter number two, after all Frank lived in California… she closed her eyes and prayed silently. "Please Lord,… please, I just need a letter from him…" She took the last letter by one hand and lifted it up and slowly, ever so slowly opened her eyes. 

It took a moment for her to register. And then the tears came. 

In red ink was a stamp and then a scrawl, "Return to Sender: No Frank Burns living at this residence". 


	2. Chapt One: A Job

I do not own M*A*S*H characters. I wish I did as I love writing about them. Thanks for the reviews. Please stop by again, chapter two should be up tomorrow. If it's not yell at Mary!!! ;-) PLEASE REVIEW!! Tell me my mistakes!! I've gone through this a couple times, but you never know! Comment, I love to read your thoughts. -Aimee

Thank you, Kelly, for mentioning my "major" mistake!! (giggle giggle). I really am such_ a blond sometimes. I was discussing army titles with my mother at the moment I wrote that and made a boo-boo. Now rectified. Thanks again!!!! Pleas review, it helps me out and reminds me there's a reason I'm actually writing. Love to hear from you! -Aimee_

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Dear Cutie-Pie, How are you my darling? I miss you already. I realize I will see you in two weeks, for our wedding, but I can't help but miss you. I am so excited, I have called and the bouquet shop says they have the flowers on order and they will be in and set up in the country club. Invitations were mailed out two weeks ago, and I have received R.S.V.P. from almost everyone. I have to say though, Klinger told me in person. But I suppose that would be obvious. Lil' Suzie is fine, she misses you too. She keeps pacing around the phone and insists we take long walks to occupy our time, while I am not busy with wedding arrangements. I miss you very much and it won't be much longer before you can never get rid of me! I love you, my darling! XXXXXXOOOOO

Love, Margaret

Margaret sighed to herself as she folded the letter and pressed it to her lips. I love you, my darling. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine him; what he was doing at that very moment.

It had been almost two years since her thirty-fifth birthday. Margaret never would have thought then, that she could be in love in less that two years. Or that person would love her too. She was putting the final touches on their wedding. The final adjustments for her dress and the adjustments to the rings. She still hadn't seen her ring, but her fiancé said it was almost finished be corrected to her ring size. The ring had belonged to his great-great grandmother and she was excited that she would wear this token of love that had been passed down through more than three generations. So much had happened over the past twenty months. And to think that horrible birthday she spent alone, she wondered what she would do and where she would go.

***

Margaret had decided she needed to move on, leave Korea _and_ Frank behind. She needed something to distract her from the painful memories of her days in Korea. A place to go. Sitting around in her apartment wasn't very fun and she couldn't get rid of painful memories while staring at her army uniform in the closet. Or her pictures from Korea on the walls. She had no where to escape. Sure she would take a walk now and again. Sometimes she would go to Golden Gate park and feed the ducks. Other times she'd go to the public library and read a book. But nothing could take away the haunting memories. What she needed was something to make her forget. A job seemed like the solution. The only problem was Margaret had only been good at one thing- Following doctor's orders. And she didn't think she could go back to a hospital.

_Maybe I could work at a veterinary clinic_, Margaret thought. So the next morning she took the cable car to Prince Street and got off in front of a building that had a bronze dog outside the door. She walked into the building. _Cla-ang_ went the bell on the door. "One moment." called a voice from the back.

Margaret looked around, the waiting room was empty. She walked over and stood in front of the desk and waited. 

A tall man with dirty blonde hair emerged from the back room, she was wiping his hands on a towel and didn't look up until he heard Margaret gasp. "Hunnicut!" He dropped the towel and looked at her. "Hot lips!" He said, gaping at her. She sudden become very self conscious. She began to run her fingers through her hair, she had had cut it shorter and in the rush of excitement of a new job she hadn't covered it, as she normally would, and the cable car ride had blown it. She straightened it as best she could and she looked over Captain Hunnicut. BJ looked the same, except he had grown mustache. Everything was the same except for his eyes. His once brilliant sparkling gray eyes seemed to lose their shine. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you that, Margaret. I, I just, I mean, I certainly wasn't excepting you." Margaret, too, tried to find words. "Hunnicut, BJ, I certainly wasn't excepting you either. How long have you been in San Francisco?" "Well, to tell you the truth I don't live here. I'm just substituting a friend of mine. Hey, since no one is here, would you like to sit in the back and talk?" Margaret nodded. And BJ went to the front door and clicked the lock, and changed the sign in the window to say, lunch break.

They retreated behind the counter to the office. "I didn't know you knew anything about animals, BJ," Margaret said. "Well, that's OK then, since I didn't see an animal- you didn't bring one did you?" BJ said as he handed her a mug and proceeded to fill it with coffee. "No, Actually I am here inquiring, whether or not an army nurse can work as a nurse in a veterinary clinic." BJ pointed to a chair and then nodded, "I believe you can, but you'd have to wait to talk to the Doctor who owns the clinic." He turned to get himself a mug. "I take it, then, that you don't want to work in a hospital?" Margaret stared down at the coffee and watched the steam rising. "I don't really have a choice. I think if I worked at a hospital, I may have a nervous break down." BJ blinked and stared down at his coffee mug. "I know how you feel. I can't imagine it was like for you. But operating on the soldiers, even while I was still in Korea, even when I knew the choppers would be coming soon, with new patients. I wanted to escape. So many people don't realize how hard it is for doctors-" 

"Or nurses," Margaret interrupted. "Or nurses- how hard it is for them to lose a patient. Or run out of morphine. Or anesthetic, but still having to operate, to save a persons life. Tough times, and I can't escape the screaming voices that haunt me. The boys who cried for their mothers." A tear slid down Margaret's cheek. "I thought I was the only one who felt this way." BJ looked her in the eyes, "Oh, Margaret, maybe you understand why Hawkeye always made jokes. He found it a way to escape the pain. Even in the worse times. He could always make me laugh. He made me forget." Margaret finally understood. "You all joked in the infirmary, to take away the pain. I, I always thought…" "You always thought, the same way Frank did, that laughter and joking around made you clumsily and hindered you and didn't help." Margaret blushed, because he hit the nail on the head, or at the mention of Frank's name.

"I take it you haven't heard from Frank?" BJ said quietly, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant-" Margaret smiled, "I understand what you meant, I look back and I realize Frank was a womanizer, just as bad as Pierce," she laughed bitterly, "I was to blind to see." BJ smiled sweetly at her, he reached across the table and held her hand, "He was a wolf in an army uniform, the worst kind." Margaret laughed. "Thank you, Hunnicut." "Your welcome, Houlihan."

She spent the next half and hour with BJ Hunnicut, reminiscing, about receiving the Purple Heart, and what they were doing now. Hunnicut was living in L.A. with his wife and two children, and expecting another. "My wife is hoping it's a girl, and my son and I are hoping it's a boy." Margaret smiled, but her heart ached. BJ sensed her pain and invited her to come and visit some time. She scribbled her address for him, and they told each other they would keep in touch. Margaret left the veterinary clinic, in a better mood, so she wasn't alone. All this time, others felt the way she did. As she climbed on the cable car she decided she would return in another week and talk to Dr. Cooper about a job as an assistant.

***

"Well, Miss Houlihan, this is an impressive résumé, but I must admit to you," Dr. Cooper said leaning back into his leather chair. He was an older man with white hair and a white mustache. Margaret felt her heart plummet, she wasn't going to get the job. "I would love you have you work here-" "Doctor, I really need a job, and I'll clean out cages, even." "Miss Houlihan, it's not just cleaning out cages, or operating on animals. Quite frankly, because this is a city, not a lot of people have pets. And I don't have a lot of business. I have the occasional hurt animal, but mostly it's just a check up. I would be happy to put you on as a part time worker, but there isn't enough work for two people. I haven't had a patient for," he picked up a clip board from his desk, "Hmm, three days." 

Margaret nodded, understanding. "I see, well, Dr. Cooper, if you could take me part time, I would be very interested." Dr. Cooper smiled, "Perfect. So many times when people ask for jobs here they don't give me a chance to offer part time. Would it be alright if I called you the days I would need you? Usually people call ahead for surgeries." Margaret gave him her phone number. "I'm usually at home, if you can't reach me at this number, you can call this number, it's my land lord, he will leave me a message on my door." Dr. Cooper write down both numbers. "Very good, thank you Miss Houlihan. I look forward with working with you." He shook her hand and walked her out of the office. 


	3. The Boutique

Chapter Two

Margaret had been working a few weeks with Dr. Cooper, when a woman came in with two puppies. "I can't handle them. I didn't mean for my dog to get pregnant and I can't deal with these two mutts. They are destroying everything in my house!" the distraught woman said this as she held out two brown puppies. Dr Cooper smiled, not taking the dogs. "Mrs. Lupkin, I've told you before, you really should get Buttercup spayed. Or keep her on a leash when you go to the park." 

This Mrs. Lupkin didn't seem happy with his response. "I don't go to the park to have my dog on a leash. Buttercup spends her entire life trapped in our pent house-" "I also told you dogs aren't happy cooped up. Why don't you let her live on you estate in the country?" Mrs. Lupkin glowered at him, "Buttercup likes to be with me." Dr. Cooper nodded, "I'm sure she does, but is being with you the _right_ thing for her. Think about it Mrs. Lupkin." 

Margaret was shocked how Dr. Cooper handled this woman. Margaret had been in a war, but this woman in front of her was absolutely intimidating. "Well, _Doctor_ Cooper, I will not be dealing with these dogs. And don't except to see Buttercup anymore. We'll find another veterinary for her. Good day." With that she dropped the puppies on the front desk and walked out. Margaret quickly grabbed the dogs, before they could fall off the counter. 

Dr. Cooper sighed, "I'm not surprised." Margaret looked at him, "What do you mean?" "I mean, when she walked in she planned to leave those dogs. It didn't matter what I said to her, she would have left them anyways." Margaret understood, "Well, at least she'll go to another vet." Dr. Copper sighed, "Oh, Margaret, how naïve you are," he smiled. "Mrs. Lupkin has been threatening that for years. I'm just sorry for the dogs." Margaret looked at the puppies, "I don't think their old enough to be away from their mother. They seem so small. And sad." Dr. Cooper nodded, "I feel sorry for them, but more sorry for their mother. She probably enjoyed their company."

Margaret took the puppies and set up a cage for them in the back of the building. She put in a basket with a few worn out blankets, and some water. She was about to leave them when Dr. Cooper poked his head in. "Margaret, they aren't as young as you might think. At least eight weeks. Mrs. Lupkin may not have wanted them, but she isn't completely heartless. Go ahead and give them some dog food. And mix in some vitamins as well, I think they could use some calcium, too." He added the last sentence as an after thought. 

When she finished she grabbed her coat and purse. She walked over to his office. "Dr. Cooper. I've finished. That was all for today, right, just that one surgery this morning?" Dr. Cooper set down the medical book he'd been reading. His reading glasses enlarged his eyes so they looked like two huge blue discs. "Ah, yes, thank you Margaret. Here's your pay." He turned to his desk and opened the door. He then took a key from his pocket and unlocked the money box and pulled out a few bills. "Here, Margaret," he said passing her the bills across the table. Margaret reached out and took the money, "Dr. Cooper, that's much to much. The surgery only cost forty dollars. I can't -" Dr. Cooper smiled. "Margaret, I want you to take that much. I enjoy working with you. You remind me of my daughter, Louise. She loved to help the animals. You have the same look in your eyes as she did, as you helped me with the cat. And when you held those puppies. Please, take the money."

Margaret held the money, but didn't pocket it. "Dr. Cooper, I didn't know you had a daughter. You never talked about her before. Or your wife for that matter. Please, tell me about them." She sat down in the chair across from him, the money in her hand. Dr. Cooper took off his glasses and held the brim of his nose, where his glasses had pressed and left their mark. "Louise was my pride and joy. She wanted to take care of animals, just like her daddy did." "She _wanted_ to, did, did something happen to her?" Margaret asked.

Dr cooper smiled sadly, "She died-" "Oh, I'm so sorry, Dr. Cooper." Dr. Cooper closed his eyes, as if trying to remember, and then he opened his eyes, "I haven't talked about this in years. Do you mind, Margaret, I think it would be good for me."

Dr. Cooper let out a sigh, it sounded as he were opening up a part of his life he had left on the back shelf of his mind for years. Perhaps that sigh meant he was dusting off this particular memory.

"Louise was a special child. Always the apple of my eye. She was the center of everyone's attention. Mine, my wife's, our son-" At the mention of his son, Dr. Cooper's voice cracked, "Our son, Gregory. He always looked after Louise, at school, home, at parties, he was a better son and brother than anyone could ever ask for."

"I was driving us all back from a Christmas party, and I had too much to drink that night. Gregory asked if he should drive, but I told him I would be fine. But I over estimated and drove the car off onto the side of the mountain and the car hit a tree." 

Margaret gasped, "Dr. Cooper, that's horrible, what, what happened?" "I was stuck behind the steering wheel and broke a few ribs. My loving wife, Katherine died on impact, and Louise had been thrown from the car." "What about Gregory?" Margaret asked. "Gregory, was fine. Not even a scratch. He blamed me though, and after the funerals, he and I got in an argument. He wanted someone to blame. He believed that some one was me. Maybe he had been right to think so, maybe not. But either way he left. I have no idea where he went. I haven't received so much as a post card. I, I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have told you. But you reminded me so much of Louise. Nothing has touched that bit of my heart for so many years, and just your eyes twinkling like hers…"

Margaret smiled through the tears forming in her eyes, "Dr. Cooper. I've lost my father and mother. I know how much it hurts. But you don't have to pay me so much, honest. And I'm honored that you'd feel that way about me."

***

Margaret returned most of the money to Dr. Cooper. It was wrong to take more than the job had been worth. Especially after she really didn't need the money. _I'm sure he just was trying to make up what happened years ago_, she thought as she was about to climb on the cable car. But at the last second she changed her mind. She stopped, her hand about to clasp the handle bar of the cable car. She decided that maybe she needed to take a walk. She always took the cable car.

Maybe she'd go to that café she always saw when she passed by. She walked down Prince street a few blocks when she came upon the café _Tuesday's Child_. She was about to walk inside, when, for the first time she noticed a yellow door to the shop next door. She stopped and stared at it. "Madame? Would you like a table, _oui_?" Margaret turned to the hostess. "No, no thank you. I'm sorry. Maybe another time…" she said distractedly. She walked toward the yellow door. To think she had missed it all the times she passed by, in the past four weeks.

On the sign above the door were the words, "Designer Boutique." Underneath that was smaller letters, that read "M. Klinger." 


End file.
